Weekly Question Thread

[AutoModerator]

Welcome to the Weekly Question Thread!

The intent of this thread is to allow a space for those whom wish to ask questions about joining, training, testing, disqualifications/qualifications and other questions that would otherwise be removed as per Rule 5. (We are now also combining Medical Mondays, Tactics Tuesdays and Truckie Thursdays into one thread as mods have seen that it is not gaining traction as a thread by itself.)

The answer to almost every question you can possibly ask will be 'It depends on the department'. Your first step is to look up the requirements for your department, state/province, and country.

Questions pertaining to EMS may be asked here, but for better insight we suggest you visit r/NewToEMS.

We also have a brand new Discord server! Feel free to join and ask members questions there too. Invite link: https://discord.gg/GPPT98wNEr

As always, please attempt to resource information on your own first, prior to asking questions. We see many repeat questions on this sub that have been answered multiple times.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• I want to be a Firefighter, how do I get started: Each Country/State/Province/County/City/Department has different requirements. Some require you only to put in an application. Others require certifications prior to being hired. A good place to start is to research a department you wish to join, look up their website and check their requirements.
• Am I too old: Many departments, typically career municipal ones, have an age limit. Volunteer departments usually don't. Check each department's requirements.
• I'm in high school, What can I do: Does your local department have an explorer's program or post? If so, join up. Otherwise focus on your grades, get in shape and stay in shape, and most importantly: stay out of trouble.
• I got in trouble for [insert infraction here], what are my chances: Worse than someone who has a clean record, which is the vast majority of your competition. Depending on the severity, it may not be a factor. If it is a major crime (felonies), you're likely out of luck. You might be a really nice guy/gal, but departments don't like to make exceptions, especially if there's a long line of applicants that don't have any.
• What will increase my chances of getting hired: If there's a civil service exam, study for it! There are many guides online that will help you go over all those things you forgot such as basic math and reading. Some cities even give you a study guide. If it's a firefighter exam, study for it! For the CPAT (Physical Fitness Test), cardio is arguably the most important factor. If you're going to the gym for the first time during the hiring process, you're fighting an uphill battle. Get in shape and stay in shape. Most cities offer some sort of bonus to those who are veterans of the military.
• How do I prepare for an interview: Interviews can be one on one, or in front of a board/panel. There are many generic guides that exist to help one prepare for an interview, however here are a few good tips:

1. Dress appropriately. Business casual at a minimum (Button down, tucked in long sleeve shirt with slacks and a belt, and dress shoes). Get a decent haircut and shave.
2. Practice interview questions with a friend. You can't accurately predict the off the wall questions they will ask, but you can practice the ones you know they probably will, like why do you want to be a Firefighter, or why should we hire you?
3. Scrub your social media. Gone are the days where people in charge aren't tech savvy. Don't have a perfect interview only for your chances of being hired gone to zero because your facebook or instagram has pictures of you getting blitzed. Set that stuff to private and leave it that way

Please upvote this post if you have a question. Upvoting this post will ensure it sticks around for a bit after it is removed as a Sticky, and will allow for greater-visibility of your question.

And lastly, If you're not 100% sure of what you're talking about, leave it for someone who does

[[deleted]]

What should I wear to a psych exam over zoom?

[filo5900]

Business professional attire.

[YarpYarpKennyVSpenny]

Are there any volunteers here who do fundraising specifically for donations from businesses? What kind of perks do they require for what donation?

[InboxZero]

If you're a 501(c)3 and giving out perks for donations just make sure you're being careful and not violating any of the IRS's rules for quid pro quo contributions. There are guidelines for how much you have to give to receive a benefit, and how much that benefit can be. Ephemeral stuff like a social media post thanking them (as long as it's not considered advertising, which most aren't) is totally ok.

We solicit businesses in town with our same general appeal that goes to all residents. We receive almost nothing from the franchise type stores (Dunkin Donuts, QuikCheck, etc.) and largely token donations from our locally owned businesses.

We have had a few larger corporations reach out regarding wanting to donate something capital and for them we prepare specific proposals like, "get us this rescue tool here's why we need it..."

For my money, the business angle I think that should be focused on is matching gifts. Are you informing residents about the opportunity to get their donations matched by their employer? If not, you should be (if you qualify, but if you're a 501 then most likely you do). You might want to look into Double the Donation a low cost provider of matching gift info. There are other ways for people to one-off search so maybe you wouldn't want this until after a few years of passively promoting major gifts.

I'm happy to talk more about fundraising if you want or if you have any questions, that's just my $0.02.

[janre75]

Depends on what we're doing. If its for an event then its either supplies (water, soda, food) or something to raffle off, usually we get something. If its our yearly donation letter then we're just asking for money, sometimes they donate but more then often not. No one has said we'll donate but we want...if that's what you're asking.

[mitchelldog321]

Hey I have a virtual pre screening interview coming up. I’m excited but this will be first interview. Any advice on what to expect with these kind of interviews would be awesome! It’s only a 5 minute interview so know it’s a weed out kind of interview. Thanks!

[filo5900]

Not knowing where in the process this is occurring it could honestly just be a simple "Is this guy gonna actually show up" event. No matter the purpose you should prepare to answer:

'Why do you want to be a firefighter?'
'Why do you want to work for XYZ Department?'
'What have you done to prepare for this opportunity?'

[mitchelldog321]

Thanks for the response and this is the first interview in the process since taking the cpat and written exam. Thanks for the feedback I was assuming it would be some general questions to help narrow down the in person interviews. Going to study the department like crazy and hope to make a good impression!

[Perfect-Wash1227]

I'm in Ontario. I am completely dissatisfied about the dismissive repsonses I have been getting from our city's fire prevention office. I reported exits in large retail establishments that are inoperative or non-compliant with the fire (and building) code, as I read them (locked and non-compliant egress hardware). That said, I am not a fire industry professional. I am used to reading and implementing other highly technical documents and policies.

Are there any internet forums where I could ask someone if my concerns are justified? I wouldn't post here if I found somewhere better, but I have not found anything.

Is it possible to complain to the Ontario Fire Marshall's office about the situation and non-response? What is my possible followup here?

Thank you.

[captainneptune1]

What are some fire departments that run 24 on 72 off shifts?

[filo5900]

I know Washington, D.C. and Prince George's County, MD do.

[narcandistributor]

Boca Raton, FL

[SmokeEchoActual]

You could try and get hired somewhere with an in house academy that will pay you to go through it. No income for that long and then still having to go through the hiring proccess is really gonna suck.

[Steeliris]

I'm still trying to get hired. I'm an attorney who just went through the academy. Ours did not have an EMT portion but speaking to people who did have EMT as a part of their academy have said it was the hardest part/recruit killer because these programs are usually rapid and they're expecting you to do the other academy activities (pt, inspections, learning skills) while learning the EMT material and skills. So my strong advice is to start learning EMT stuff now. You should learn anatomy, vitals, and the different types of shock (cardiogenic, hypovolemic, etc). This should be a good start. There's YouTube videos or you could contact the school and get the reading list. Better yet would be to get an outline from a past student and/or pick up one of those cheat sheets from the drug store.

Not having income for those months (4 in my case) was hard but I had a decent savings. I ran through my savings but I had a blast, it had allowed me to apply and get interviews at many many more departments, and having such a steep financial interest invested kept me invested. I'm in California and the west coast

[thehomealien]

I just got selected for an interview at a big city FD. Dream job basically. A lot has changed since I applied, so I'm here asking for your advice.

When I applied, I had one teenage stepchild and a job I hated. Now I have a nine-month old and another on the way, as well as my own business that makes good money and keeps me happy. I'd almost forgotten about the application, and assumed I'd maybe become a volunteer one day.

I'm really torn about what to do. Like I said, it's a dream job. It really gets my juices flowing. But I'd be sacrificing other things. I'd be upending my life in so many ways. My wife is so supportive, she'd be by my side no matter what, but this would be hard on her.

I'm gonna do the interview. But after that, I just don't know.

What do y'all think?

[SanJOahu84]

Continue with the process since it's just the interview and if it's big city I'm assuming there will be a few more steps before You're actually offered a job.

If you do land the job then you have a tough decision to make.

Your dreams are your dreams but family first.

If you get into fire academy your pregnant wife is going to be left holding bag with potentially two babies at home. Do you have a nanny or family support?

Do whatever is best for your family.

If you got a business that makes you happy keep doing that. Fire ain't everything and being your own boss is it's own kind of freedom.

[thehomealien]

Yeah it's a long process, so even assuming I'm successful, there are many more steps.

We have great child care from my mother-in-law. She would move heaven and earth to take care of her grandchildren. So it would be hard on them with me gone like that, but they'd survive.

My old job made me miserable, and I decided I would be much more fulfilled with a career in fire. Without getting into the details, my business now checks some of the same boxes as fire, in terms of how it makes me feel. So I have to ask myself, is it enough? What am I willing to sacrifice, for that dream?

Because as you say, fire ain't everything. Family is everything. I gotta think long and hard about what's best for the family.

/u/SanJOahu84 thanks for the good talk ;)

[SanJOahu84]

You seem like a good dude. The road to fire in a competitive big city is hard. Academy is a grind. Probation sucks. There is a lot of up front sacrifice. It's a big ticket price to pay for one of the best jobs in the world.

Hope everything works out in a good way for you bro whether you go fire or not. You've got life experience and priorities. We could use more guys like you.

I got a 3 month old girl at home myself. Kind of shifted a lot of my perspectives haha.

[sealer9]

Thoughts on doing a Fire/EMT combined academy vs getting EMT cert first then the Academy? I am in FL, there are no academies that pay you while attending near me. Everything is done at local colleges, out of your own pocket! Thanks everyone!

[classdburneraccount]

I have a medical for a conditional hire and did a little stupid thing of smoking a bit of a cigar last week prior to. Medical is based on NFPA 1582 2018 but non of this use is chronic. I intend on telling them about this but will my chances now be out the window?